The Grateful Thread

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by JRM, Apr 11, 2014.

  1. SBegonias17

    SBegonias17 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia
    The crowd is nuts in that one, probably one of the best early loud ones and loud due to the performance, not the song choice.
     
  2. warewolf95

    warewolf95 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greenville, SC
    5/23/82 Berkeley, CA

    Set 1, aside from Let It Grow was the world's greatest exercise in mediocre song selection. SKIP!

    Set 2, however, might just be the best of all 3 nights of this incredible run!!!!

    Getting Scar>Fire AND THEN Samson and SOF was like having a bonus tacked on the beginning. Pretty big pre-drums section tonight!

    And this TOO>Stella is otherworldly. X Factor paradise it was.

    Get ready for another long review. I'm going back out on the road in a day or 2 so it'll most likely be my last one for another while. :)
     
    bzfgt and US Blues like this.
  3. MikeP5877

    MikeP5877 V/VIII/MCMLXXVII

    Location:
    OH
    Motorcycle Space!
     
    Crispy Rob and warewolf95 like this.
  4. warewolf95

    warewolf95 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greenville, SC
    Thanks for letting me know. Gotta go check it out on the archives since I delete Drumz>Space from every download. :p
     
    US Blues likes this.
  5. warewolf95

    warewolf95 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greenville, SC
    5/23/82 – Berkeley, CA*********************** (Skip set 1. Set 2 might be best of all 3 nights!!!!)

    Night 3 opens with a smashing Shakedown Street. Great piano, vocals and solos. It's excellent. Not much to say besides that. Actually, check out the jamming that begins around 9 minutes – love it when everyone is in sync like this and playing together. :) Like we didn't just spend 13 minutes jamming, Bobby busts out Promised Land as soon as Shakedown concludes. It works better than you'll think and it's an excellent, rocking version. Great stuff. Also, THIS SETLIST IS PHENOMENAL!! If it doesn't live up to the expectations it has set, then I will be sorely disappointed.

    I'm more tired than I was yesterday, so my mood while reviewing this is a little bit distracted, therefore I might rate some things lower than if I had listened yesterday.

    ANYWAYS, carrying on, a nice TLEO is next. Not dragging, this one almost has a nice little bounce to it, not unlike the previous show's T Jed. The vocals are pretty strong and th Itottest thing in the show so far – IT SMOKES, DUDES!!!!! A ripping hot Little Red Rooster is next. Jerry is raping his axe with his slide on this one. Normally Bobby is the problem child but tonight it's all Jer. My ears are bleeding oh my god. It was awesome, but crazy. :) Oh boy, then Brent takes to the mic parading a line of verbal debauchery before our ears, haha. Things continue to get awesomely worse from there on with Bobby topping Jerry's slide-based hell and making all the dogs and cats run for the hills with the squealing racket he makes. :D All things said, it's a pretty insane Rooster.

    Having lied about the setlist to you at the start of this review, I'll come out of the proverbial closet and say THANK GOD this awful first-set list of songs comes to a finale with Ramble On Rose. Seriously – look at set 1 and tell me you want this? BLECH! Well played, but awful choices, haha. Thankfully after this it's All Killer No Filler setlist wise. :) And so, just as Shakedown Street opened this set on a massive high, a RIP ROARING SHREDDING FACE MELTING Let It Grow leads us into the break. This makes up for the mediocre set choices and the not-as-amazing-as-the-previous-shows playing. 11 minutes of auditory murder – the good kind! - to end the set. Perfection. :)

    Set 2 kicks off with a relaxed-sounding Scarlet Begonias. Pretty laid back in a very nice way. Excellent vocals from Jerry. He sounds great tonight! This is a really positive sounding Scarlet. It slowly builds more energy and speed as it goes on but this one is just out cruising for a great time. Awesome stuff. Great playing from all, of course. The jamming begins around 7 minutes in and with the drummers using their percussion add-ons to great effect, this is beginning to sound pretty tropical in the best of ways. Jerry gives us a lengthy solo that is excellently paced and not noodle-chef'ed. Brent has some cool synth sound bubbling away in the back and Bobby and Phil are holding down the fort underneath it all. FREAKIN KILLER SCARLET!

    The transition jam slowly begins to form and Bobby and Jerry lock on to each other doing some cool octave-sounding things back and forth. They break apart again and Bobby returns to his chords while Jerry keeps the soloing going. It's really dynamic though and things get pretty quiet while still being energetic. This Scarlet is sick. Around 12 minutes Bobby and Jerry lock in again and do some really cool string and note bending for a bit. The mood is slowly changing and you can tell Fire is imminent. It's subtle but obvious at the same time.

    Finally Jerry busts out the Fire riff with Phil and the crowd goes nuts. Not much of a transition jam (not that there wasn't great jamming, it was just short) but that doesn't matter much. Fire gets to the jamming pretty quick and Jerry starts leading us to the peak of the volcano. He let's it rip for a few scorching hot minutes before returnign to the vocals. Freaking killer. This FOTM is only 10 minutes but it feels like a monster that has been going on for far longer. Soak in this jamming, live in it, breathe in it. Worship it. This is the stuff dreams are made of. Aww yessss...... 10/10 Scar>Fire right here! 25 minutes of heavenly mana sent to us by the Jam Lords. I've never been high but this is definitely making me want to get dosed and soak this in while doing so. :)

    In a slightly odd placement, a ripping hot Samson follows up Fire just right. THIS SAMSON IS FLIPPIN HOTTER THAN THE SUN YEEHAW!!!! I love me a hot Samson and this one takes the cake. It might even be hotter than the insane Rooster from earlier in the show. THIS IS A MUST-HEAR SAMSON!!! A perfectly placed and somewhat unexpected Ship Of Fools is next. It's pretty excellent. Sending memories of 1974, Jerry's vocals are passionate and the music is both tender and emotional in just the right ways. Jerry's solo is particularly spine tingling. Awesome stuff.

    And just when you think Drumz is up next, the guys surprise us by launching into Estimated! This 2nd set is like when you get bonus pizza rolls in the package. :D Estimated is hard and funky from the start and just blasts into your speakers with aplomb. It gets pretty dang hot and explosive with the “CALIFORNIA!!!!!” section that sees Jerry blowing everything up with his sonic assault. This Estimated is 12 minutes of greatness right here guys. Killer.

    Eventually Bobby starts his screams and the crowd laps it up. Listening crowd members joking imitate the scream afterwards is pretty funny. The intensity continues throughout but a jazzier mood takes over and the boys let the X Factor flow. Ultra-tasty jamming ensues and the guys are laying it all out on the line for us. Swirling masses of piano and guitars and bass. This Estimated is one of the best things played this entire YEAR! FOR SURE. Not joking. It's that colossal. If you in any way shape or form enjoy Estimated Prophet, you NEED to hear this before you die. 10-out-of-freaking-10.

    Finally, in one of the smoothest segues I've ever heard the boys do, Jerry leads us straight into Eyes Of The World out of nowhere. This one is at a perfect tempo. Speedy-but-not-rushed. Energetic yet flexible. Surprisingly, there is almost no intro jamming and Jerry jumps directly into the lyrics. Rushed? Nah. Economical, yes. Following the lyrics, Jerry lets it rip, reminding us that he really is the number one noodle chef of all time (I mean that in the BEST of ways) delivering unto us tropically paradiscical leads of the highest order. This is musical paradise.

    Close your eyes and picture yourself lying on a beach of golden sand, the warm sea breeze wafting through the air. That's exactly what this BEAUTIFUL Eyes conjures up. Another home run performance from the boys. :) For the last few minutes everyone leaves the stage and lets Jerry do some very, very cool soloing with just the drummers. Short but sweet. Of course from there it's into drums.

    Out of Space we get a murderous 13 minute The Other One! Who ever said later versions were too short obviously missed this one. It starts off very slowly taking it's time winding out of Space. The crowd even begins to clap along which is something I've not heard before. Very cool. It stays like this for a very long time, even returning to Drums for about a minute and almost launching into Truckin' as well!

    This is JAMMING, GOSH DANG IT! THIS IS FREAKING SICK! IF YOU LIKE THE GUYS JAMMING YOU GOTTA CHECK THIS OUT ITS PRETTY COOL DARE I SAY!

    Eventually Jerry begins to weasel in some guitar lines and Brent answers him back with bursts of keys. The rest of the band is slowly getting into it and then you hear the RUMBLE OF A THOUSAND BOMBS DROPPING UPON THE HEADS OF THE UNDESERVING AND WE ARE INTO THE OTHER ONE WITH THE BIGGEST OF ALL BANGS!!!!!!!!!!! THE CROWD GOES NUTS!!!!!!!!!! Damn. Talk about a suspensful buildup! My heart rate is higher just from listening to this insanity!!!!! THSI IS FREAKING AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is POWER! This is DYNAMICS!

    This is THE GRATEFUL FREAKING DEAD MOTHER TRUCKERS!

    After 13 explosively riveting and heart-pounding minutes, we slam on the brakes and go into Stella Blue. A perfect choice to follow TOO and while it's a little to fast for my liking, the music is SO buttery smooth it gives me chills. Check out Brent's piano/keys.... oh man if that doesn't give you spine tingles.....This Stella is pretty terrific. Jerry puts his all into it and the music is just splendid. It's not the greatest Stella ever, but it's worthy of this set, that's for sure. Awesome.

    Soon enough Stella concludes and the drummers up the tempo and beat prepping us for the steamrolling Miracle to follow. Another “I don't believe that worked as good as it did” segue and Miracle has us banging our heads. Killer. This one is longer than normal and actually has some cool jamming!!! Great slide work and the crowd clapping along but then as soon as you know it, the guys bust out Casey Jones!

    Only the first of 2 versions for 1982, it had to be planned because there is no way you could segue that smoothly from one song to the next like that. No way. Normally, I can't stand Casey Jones, but in this context it's a welcome diversion from the usual fare. Great surprise!!! Hell, they only played it SIX more tiems after this anyways. In another rare and unexpected move, the boys whip out a rocking Satisfaction for the first encore!!!! This one is great! I can't believe they canned it after a little bit. Coulda been great in later years.

    The song comes to a RAGING conclusion and the boys do the only thing they are allowed to at this point and close the run with a gorgeous and heartfelt Brokedown Palace as the crowd cheers their approval.

    Overall, skip set 1, but set 2 was one of the most epic I've ever heard. A killer run not to be missed. 3 excellent shows with some of the hottest playing of all time throughout. :)
     
    adamos, NorCal, RockRoom and 3 others like this.
  6. MikeP5877

    MikeP5877 V/VIII/MCMLXXVII

    Location:
    OH
    I never skip drums>space.

    I may take a bathroom break and go to the fridge for a beer (no waiting), but I never skip drums>space.
     
  7. bzfgt

    bzfgt The Grand High Exalted Mystic Ruler

    But they open with Shakedown Street!
     
    warewolf95 likes this.
  8. US Blues

    US Blues Undermining Consensus Reality

    Two things stand out for me in this audacious review:

    1. Ramblin' Rose is a core song in the GD songbook, never a throwaway, and I always loved hearing this tune performed live by Mr. Garcia.

    2. There is no such thing as a "must hear" Samson & Delilah. Just as our beloved @Archtop will explain why Fire On The Mountain is a simple and repetitive tune, this goes ten-fold for Samson. Just, no.

    Sounds like a great show, though. :righton:
     
  9. warewolf95

    warewolf95 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greenville, SC
    That's true, but I didn't find this particular version all that great. Shakedown is Shakedown and it's always a certain level of "great" but this one didn't really stand out much for whatever reason. :)
     
    bzfgt and US Blues like this.
  10. warewolf95

    warewolf95 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greenville, SC
    :D:uhhuh:

    Ramble On Rose was pretty good this night, I'll admit. But it's a song that, most of the time, falls into "simple and repetitive" territory (at least in later years). Not that it's ever bad but it's pretty hard to tell one from the next for me, ya know? I should've written a little blurb about it because it was actually a pretty good version. :)

    Also, I agree about Fire. The song itself has never been a favorite (for the reasons Archtop lists) but as a jam vehicle extending out of Scarlet it is definitely a good thing. :)
     
  11. Archtop

    Archtop Soft Dead Crimson Cow

    Location:
    Greater Boston, MA
    Mind you, the Scarlet--> Fire they played on 6/18/83 at SPAC was momentous to experience live, complete with on-cue lightning bolts from Mother Nature. After it wrapped up, I remember thinking, "well, that's probably the high point of this show." Yes, I'm an idiot. :D
     
    adamos, budwhite, bzfgt and 3 others like this.
  12. ianuaditis

    ianuaditis Matthew 21:17

    Location:
    Long River Place
    :wtf: :tsk: :unhunh: :-plnktn-::rant:
     
  13. ianuaditis

    ianuaditis Matthew 21:17

    Location:
    Long River Place
    The 'must-hear' one is that one where Weirs mic is broken at the beginning. That one can stand in for the rest of them.
     
    budwhite, Crispy Rob, bzfgt and 4 others like this.
  14. warewolf95

    warewolf95 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greenville, SC
    Not as much as me - Mr. I Love Samson

    :D
     
    Crispy Rob, bzfgt, US Blues and 2 others like this.
  15. warewolf95

    warewolf95 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Greenville, SC
    So it looks like im the only one that loves the following tunes:

    Samson and Delilah
    Lost Sailor>Saint of Circumstance
    Hell In a Bucket
    Picasso Moon
    Looks Like Rain


    What else? Dont worry. I dont care for Esau...

    :)
     
    JRM, notesofachord and US Blues like this.
  16. MikeP5877

    MikeP5877 V/VIII/MCMLXXVII

    Location:
    OH
    I like the Samson from 8/18/91 where they come in almost one by one, turning the intro in to a funky little jam. Pretty cool.
     
    ianuaditis, Crispy Rob and warewolf95 like this.
  17. wavethatflag

    wavethatflag God is love, but get it in writing.

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    I like all of these, especially Sampson, the awesome two sides of the same coin Sailor>Saint combo, and Hell In A Bucket.

    I honestly can't recall My Brother Esau.

    Edit: And as I do recall, when I had the mega-privilege of seeing the band in the late 80s, I always loved Jerry's work on "Looks Like Rain," because he would do that crystalline rain-drop thing on his guitar. You know what I'm talking about--those high little figurations.
     
    Last edited: Dec 30, 2017
  18. US Blues

    US Blues Undermining Consensus Reality

    What are you kidding?! I love Picasso Moon, it was the first tune from Built To Last that grabbed my hippocampus and wouldn't let go. Of course it served as the soundtrack for some very, um, interesting experiences back-in-the-day. And there was that night at Mile High Stadium, as the boys were jamming out of the second set opening Eyes Of The World, that the video folks put a shot of the Moon, just passed full, on the video screens. When Bobby careened into Picasso Moon minutes later the venue erupted in cheers- a classic Grateful Dead moment.

    PS- The version of My Brother Esau from Lake Placid was stupendous. Sadly, early in '84 Bobby changed the intro to the tune and made it lounge act worthy.
     
    Last edited: Dec 30, 2017
    warewolf95, budwhite and Crispy Rob like this.
  19. wavethatflag

    wavethatflag God is love, but get it in writing.

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    I don't know of a "must hear" Sampson, and if @warewolf95 wrote it, I am inclined to concur. Also, Fire On The Mountain's strength is its simplicity. It's the song even non-Deadheads really like.
     
    budwhite and US Blues like this.
  20. US Blues

    US Blues Undermining Consensus Reality

    You bring up a good point about the live experience of this music in contrast to the experience of listening to these recordings, as good as they are. Songs, jams, and the sundry that may not be so exciting now, could have blown one's mind at the show. I can say that most of the shows from the 90's that I saw were very fun experiences, but do not interest me now as recordings. So it goes.
     
  21. wavethatflag

    wavethatflag God is love, but get it in writing.

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    It's a double-edged sword for me, because I really think you had to be there, yet I don't want the newer Deadheads to think they've missed anything.

    Double-edged sword may not be the right way to describe that. Instead, I'll quote David Byrne, "Some good points, some bad points/But it all works out, I'm a little freaked out."
     
    Last edited: Dec 30, 2017
  22. Archtop

    Archtop Soft Dead Crimson Cow

    Location:
    Greater Boston, MA
    Well, the fact is, one can't really get the full experience from a recording, but one can't really hear and/or fully process the nuances when present at the event. Since it's 99% about the music for me, having the recordings is probably just as important as having been to a number of very good shows and a couple of really great ones.
     
    US Blues, bzfgt and RockRoom like this.
  23. wavethatflag

    wavethatflag God is love, but get it in writing.

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    And recordings get mixed. That changes things. Recordings are weird and imperfect documents. Unless you're Becker and Fagan, har, har. In that case, they're only weird.
     
    US Blues, budwhite and Archtop like this.
  24. ianuaditis

    ianuaditis Matthew 21:17

    Location:
    Long River Place
    I like it OK, but it is pretty much a straight rundown every time. Not that it's the only song like that. I like it in 78 because Garcia typically smokes on it, but did they have to play it at every 1.5 shows?
    ...
    I picked up the Kreutzmann book at the library (and have 2 more GD books on order.)

    It's interesting, but I'm not wild about the style; it reads like they had six months to write it but then just ended up transcribing all of their notes in a coke-fueled weekend in time for a monday deadline.

    I just got to the part where he puts down Phil and Bobs songwriting, lol.
     
    warewolf95, budwhite and bzfgt like this.
  25. wavethatflag

    wavethatflag God is love, but get it in writing.

    Location:
    SF Bay Area
    I wasn't either. It took me almost a year to finish it. Then, right after, I started This Is All A Dream We Dreamed, and finished it in less than a week. Evidently, Billy and Mr. Eisen didn't see the Seinfeld episode where Elaine realized that "people love interesting writing."
     
    Last edited: Dec 30, 2017
    ianuaditis likes this.

Share This Page

molar-endocrine